The effectiveness of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) model in people with HIV: A cross sectional study

Background and Aims

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are a chronic and disabling disease that has a significant impact on quality of life due to weakening of physical health, financial problems and social stigma. This study aims to validate the Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) model in people with human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) in Iran.

Methods

Four hundred and fifty-two people with HIV from Imam Khomeini Hospital between the age of 18 and 65 years (men: 308, women: 144) participated in the research. anonymously completed a battery of questionnaires, namely the Persian basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration scale, SF-36, PSQI and mindful attention awareness scale. The method of the present study was the structural equation model.

Results

Current findings indicated there is a significant positive between mindfulness and need satisfaction, physical and mental health and, significant negative between mindfulness and quality and quantity of sleep. Mindfulness and need satisfaction are significant positive predictors of quality of life in people with HIV. Quality and quantity of sleep are significant negative predictors of quality of life in people with HIV. There is a positive significance between need satisfaction and physical and mental health but there is a negative significance between need satisfaction and quality and quantity. there is a negative significant between the quality and quantity of sleep with physical and mental health. Mindfulness facilitates the satisfaction of more psychological needs and improves the quality of sleep. The quality of sleep is a negative significant predictor for physical and mental health but the quantity of sleep is a negative significant predictor for physical health.

Conclusion

The HRQOL model can explain 18% of physical health and 16% of mental health in people with HIV in Iran. The elements of this model can be useful in evaluating and treating people with HIV in the Iranian Population. They also can use the models to plan for better services.

Trait mindful awareness predicts inter-brain coupling but not individual brain responses during naturalistic face-to-face interactions

In recent years, the possible benefits of mindfulness meditation have sparked much public and academic interest. Mindfulness emphasizes cultivating awareness of our immediate experience and has been associated with compassion, empathy, and various other prosocial traits. However, neurobiological evidence pertaining to the prosocial benefits of mindfulness in social settings is sparse. In this study, we investigate neural correlates of trait mindful awareness during naturalistic dyadic interactions, using both intra-brain and inter-brain measures. We used the Muse headset, a portable electroencephalogram (EEG) device often used to support mindfulness meditation, to record brain activity from dyads as they engaged in naturalistic face-to-face interactions in a museum setting. While we did not replicate prior laboratory-based findings linking trait mindfulness to individual brain responses (N = 379 individuals), self-reported mindful awareness did predict dyadic inter-brain synchrony, in theta (~5–8 Hz) and beta frequencies (~26-27 Hz; N = 62 dyads). These findings underscore the importance of conducting social neuroscience research in ecological settings to enrich our understanding of how (multi-brain) neural correlates of social traits such as mindful awareness manifest during social interaction, while raising critical practical considerations regarding the viability of commercially available EEG systems.

Self-care among persons with heart failure: Examining the impact of mindfulness and impulsivity using conditional process analysis

BACKGROUND

According to the literature, self-care in persons with heart failure is inadequate. Such inadequate levels of self-care necessitate a thorough investigation of the potential predictors.

PURPOSE

To: (a) determine the level of self-care among persons with heart failure in Jordan; (b) determine the relationship between mindfulness, impulsivity, and self-care among persons with heart failure; (c) investigate the potential moderation effect of impulsivity on the relationship between mindfulness and self-care.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A convenience sample of 100 persons with heart failure in an outpatient clinic at King Abdullah University Hospital was recruited. The following tools were used to collect the data via phone survey: Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 78 male and 22 female persons with heart failure. The effect of mindfulness was statistically significant only on self-care symptom perception, and not significant on other aspects of self-care. Impulsivity moderated only the effect of mindfulness on self-care symptom perception. Correlation analysis showed a significant relationship between mindfulness and impulsivity (r = -.532, p < .01).

CONCLUSION

Mindfulness is likely to improve at least one aspect of self-care (self-care symptom perception) and reduce impulsivity among heart failure persons.

The Effect of a Brief Mindfulness Practice on Perceived Stress and Sustained Attention: Does Priming Matter?

Objectives

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of a brief mindfulness practice on perceived stress and sustained attention, and to determine whether priming the benefits of mindfulness meditation enhances this effect.

Methods

Two hundred and twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a control condition (CC), a meditation condition (MC), or a priming + meditation condition (PMC). Baseline and post-treatment measures included subjective stress ratings on a visual analog scale (VAS) and performance on a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), determined by reaction time coefficient of variability (RTCV) and three measures of accuracy: correct responses, errors of commission, and errors of omission.

Results

Repeated measures analyses revealed that both the MC and the PMC displayed a decline in perceived stress relative to the CC. Analyses further revelated that the MC and PMC displayed fewer errors of omission relative to the CC. However, only the PMC displayed better performance relative to the CC with respect to total correct response and errors of commission. There were no significant between-group differences for RTCV.

Conclusions

These findings are novel and provide a foundation to further investigate the effect of priming on mindfulness engagement and its potential benefits.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-022-01913-8.

The Psychometric Properties of the Relaxation/Meditation/Mindfulness (RMM) Tracker t Inventory in an Iranian Population

Background

A growing body of research has examined the psychometric properties of popular mindfulness inventories for different population. The present study is aimed at exploring the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Relaxation/Meditation/Mindfulness (RMM) Tracker t Inventory in Iran.

Method

This was a cross-sectional and methodological study that conducted in Kerman, southeast Iran. Fifty, 300, and 163 Iranian adult participants were participated in the pilot, exploratory, and confirmatory phase, respectively. Face, content, and structural validities, Cronbach's alpha, and Omega coefficient were used to validate the Persian scale.

Results

The results showed that the “Persian version of RMM t” had acceptable content and face validities. The Principal Axis Factoring (PAF) with Promax Rotation showed that the P-RMM t has 3 scales of “Mindful Love, Thankfulness, and Transcendence,” “Relaxation,” and “Mindful Deepening” which further confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency of all three scales was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha coefficients > 80).

Conclusion

The Persian version of RMM Tracker t seems to be a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess the levels of mindfulness in the Iranian general population.

Need Fulfillment and Resilience Mediate the Relationship between Mindfulness and Coping in Medical Students

Theory: Medical programs have turned to mindfulness-based initiatives to help reduce student distress and promote healthy coping within the learning environment. However, little attention has been paid to how fulfillment of medical students' basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) impacts their capacity to be mindful and cope with stress. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) posits that mindfulness facilitates adaptive coping and wellness, in large part because of need fulfillment. Hypotheses: Using SDT as a lens, it is hypothesized that medical students' resilience and, to a greater extent, need fulfillment in medical school, will mediate the relationship between their mindfulness and coping reactions to stress. Method: One-hundred-ninety-seven medical students from the University of Saskatchewan were recruited to participate in this study: 71 first year, 58 second year, and 36 third and fourth year, each. Students completed an anonymous survey, measuring need fulfillment in medical school, mindfulness, resilience, and frequent use of various adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. We assessed the extent that need fulfillment and resilience mediated the relationship between mindfulness and coping styles. Results: Need satisfaction and resilience fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness and adaptive coping. Conversely, need frustration and resilience partially mediated the relationship between mindfulness and maladaptive coping. Need fulfillment was a stronger mediator than resilience in both coping models. Conclusions: Findings suggest that increased supports for medical students' resilience and basic psychological needs may promote their mindfulness, and in turn, their ability to respond more adaptively and less maladaptively to stressors they face in medical school.

Burned or engaged teachers? The role of mindfulness, self-efficacy, teacher and students’ relationships, and the mediating role of intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness

This study had the goal to examine factors that are associated with burnout and engagement among teachers from diverse educational stages. Among these factors, we analyzed socio-demographic aspects, such as gender, age and years of experience, and other psychological teacher-related variables like teacher’s self-efficacy and teacher-student relationships. We also considered the potential mediating role of mindfulness in these relationships. The sample was made up by 425 Spanish teachers who answered an online survey. We administered the following measures: Revised version of the Teacher’s Burnout Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Mindfulness in Teaching Scale –which distinguished between intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness-, Teacher’s Sense of Self-efficacy Scale, and some questions related to the relationships between students and teachers in the classroom. We conducted a mediational analysis through structural equation modeling (SEM). Our findings indicated that both intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness mediated the relation between self-efficacy, which played a direct and an indirect role, the teacher-student relationship, and burnout and engagement. The socio-demographic variables of gender and years of experience played a significant role in mindfulness. The teachers with more self-efficacy were more likely to pay attention to their daily activity and to show more receptivity with their students, which resulted in lower burnout and more engagement. In addition, better relationships with students led to higher intrapersonal mindfulness levels, which mediated the relation with burnout and engagement. These relations varied depending on specific burnout and engagement dimensions. We discuss the implications of these findings for improving teachers´ implication in the education field.

Efficacy of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention on the psychological well-being of health care professionals and trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed method design

Background

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health professionals were pushed to the front line of a global health crisis unprepared and resource constrained, which affected their mental well-being.

Aim

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on stress and burnout for health professionals training and working in South Africa during the COVID-19 crisis.

Setting

The context of the study is the overburdened, under-resourced health care system in South Africa during a global pandemic.

Methods

A mixed method framework was adopted for this study. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive analysis and the participants’ qualitative experiences were interpreted using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results

Forty-seven participants took part in this study. The study found a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction in stress levels and emotional exhaustion as well as an increase in mindful awareness and feelings of personal accomplishment after the intervention. The participants’ shared experiences were analysed in two parts. The pre-intervention analysis presented with central themes of loss of control and a sense of powerlessness because of COVID-19. The post-intervention analysis comprised themes of a sense of acquired control and empowerment through increased mindfulness.

Conclusions

The study found that a brief online MBI can be associated with reduced levels of stress and burnout as well as an increased sense of control and empowerment, felt both personally and professionally, during a global crisis.

Contribution

The impact of an online MBI for health care professionals amidst a pandemic has not been previously documented.

Mindfulness Is Associated With Lower Stress and Higher Work Engagement in a Large Sample of MOOC Participants

Objective: This study aimed to understand the associations between mindfulness, perceived stress, and work engagement in a very large sample of English-speaking adults, from 130 different countries. It also aimed to assess participants' self-reported changes following a 6-week mindfulness massive open online course (MOOC). Methods: Participants in the 6-week MOOC were invited to complete pre-post online surveys. Cross-sectional associations were assessed using univariate linear models, followed by structural equation models to test mediation pathways in baseline data (N = 16,697). Self-reported changes in mindfulness, stress and engagement following training were assessed using paired t-tests (n = 2,105). Results: Each standard deviation unit increase in mindfulness was associated with a 0.52 standard deviation unit decrease in perceived stress, and with 0.06 standard deviation unit increment in work engagement. 73% of the influence of mindfulness on engagement was direct. Following the mindfulness MOOC, participants reported higher mindfulness (d = 1.16), reduced perceived stress (d = 1.00) and a small improvement in work engagement (d = 0.29). Conclusions: Mindfulness was associated with lower perceived stress and higher work engagement in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. These findings support mindfulness as a potentially protective and modifiable personal resource. The MOOC format offers a low cost, highly accessible means for extending the reach and potential benefits of mindfulness training to large numbers of people.

Anxiety, anger, and mindfulness as predictors of general health in the general population during COVID-19 outbreak: A survey in southeast Iran

Communities have been exposed to the complications and problems caused by COVID‐19 disease, which has had various and complex effects on general health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety, anger, mindfulness, and general health in the general population during the COVID‐19 outbreak in Iran. This cross‐sectional study was performed on 456 participants from September 2020 to April 2021. For data collection, Demographic Characteristics Form, General Health Questionnaire, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory‐Short Form, The trait anxiety section of the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory, The State‐Trait Anger Expression Inventory‐2 were used. General health was positively correlated with anxiety and anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. Anxiety was positively correlated with anger and negatively correlated with mindfulness. No significant correlation was found between anger and mindfulness. Based on the multiple regression model, anxiety, anger and a family member infected with COVID‐19 were the predictors of general health (p < 0.001). Given that anxiety, anger, and family members infected with COVID‐19 are all predictors of public health, it is suggested that psychological programs and interventions be designed to reduce anxiety and anger, as well as to support family members infected with COVID‐19, to promote general health.

Validity Evidence of the Spanish Version of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale Using the Rasch Measurement Model

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is the most cited instrument to measure dispositional mindfulness. However, some aspects of its validity are still under debate. We aimed to assess different sources of validity evidence (i.e., response processes, content, internal structure, reliability, and relations with external variables) of the MAAS scores in a sample of Spanish-speaking participants (N = 812) applying Rasch modeling. The items formed an essentially unidimensional structure, the item hierarchy was similar to that of previous comparable studies, the items were well targeted, and the ordering of persons along the construct was adequate. Moreover, measures were invariant across four age groups and three groups based on meditation practice, and correlated as expected with a variety of well-being variables. In sum, our findings supported the interpretation of MAAS scores as a measure of mindfulness in our sample of Spanish-speaking participants. Any other specific inference should be tested.

Stress and Quality of Life of Patients with Cancer: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness

Background

Cancer is one of the major health problems worldwide, which in addition to physical disorders, causes stress and anxiety in patients and affects the quality of life of cancer patients. Mindfulness can affect stress and improve the quality of life. This research explained the correlation between stress, quality of life, and mindfulness.

Materials and Methods

Two hundred five cancer patients participated in this cross-sectional study. Patients completed the EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), the Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

Results

Perceived stress and mindfulness predict nearly 39% of the changes of QOL in cancer patients. In addition, perceived stress was negatively associated with mindfulness and quality of life (P < 0.05). Mindfulness was positively correlated with quality of life (P < 0.05). Mindfulness played a mediating role in the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life (standardized β = -0.13; SE = 0.07, 95% confidence interval = -0.28 to -0.01; P value = 0.04).

Conclusion

In the present study, the variables of mindfulness and perceived stress affected the quality of life of cancer patients. Mindfulness can affect the quality of life of cancer patients directly and indirectly. These results emphasize the importance of mindfulness in the lives of cancer patients.